This invention relates to the protection of tarpaulins used in the over-the-road and other shipping industries.
It is common in the shipping industry, whether by truck, rail or other carrier, to use tarpaulins to cover the load for the purpose of protecting and/or concealing the load. Because of the sharp corners, edges or other objects on these loads, and due to the constant driving wind blowing the tarp against these corners during shipment, the tarpaulins tend to wear out relatively quickly, with the first tear or hole usually occurring at the points of friction against the loads. These tarps are expensive and one trailer alone can utilize several tarps in any one year. Consequently, it is an object of this invention to provide a relatively inexpensive, durable and universal tarp protector.
There is no prior art known to these inventors, there being no tarp protectors. The closest art in the shipping business relates to inventions that protect the load rather than the tarp, or that are for securing the load. The present invention is not a securing device and in fact should not be used as a securing device.
Thus presented in the present invention is an elongated sheet of heavy webbing type material (including rubberized material) having male and female connections at either end to allow extensions of the invention to be added for larger loads, with spaced apart metal rings secured to the webbing, and protective webbing flaps affixed to the webbing to cover each of the rings and protect the load from the rings and connectors. A rubber or spring-loaded hook or other securing means, then is used to secure the nylon webbing to the truck bed using the appropriate ring at either end of the invention once the invention is thrown over the load and placed over the sharp corners.
Other objects and features of the invention and objective and the manner in which the invention achieves its purpose will be appreciated from the foregoing in the following description and the accompanying drawings which exemplify the invention, it being understood that changes may be made in the specific invention disclosed herein without departing from the essentials of the invention set forth in the intended claims.